Tag Archives // "Security"

08/09/2008

Software, Software Reviews

Lockdown Your Mac & Never Use it Again!

By Ben

Last week I decided to try a new app from Foozoo Design called Lockdown. Lockdown is security software app that locks your mac, allowing no-one but you to use it. Once enabled Lockdown’s motion-sensors, keyboard-sensors, external device sensors and MagSafe sensors prevent all co-workers, thief’s and family members from using your mac. When your mac detects a unauthorized user, the computer sounds an alarm, preventing the system from being muted or put to sleep. The software will even take a snap shot of the user with your iSight and email directly to your account.

Sounds cool huh? I thought so too, until Lockdown locked me out of my own computer. Yes, things were looking good for Friday afternoon. I was going to relax, watch some movies, but silly Ben…I decided to try out the new Lockdown.

All went well with the installation of Lockdown and I was ready to test it out. I pressed the enable button and waited to be identified as a ‘unauthorized user’. As a hit the keyboard, the alarm went off; frightening everyone in the house. Make it stop, make it stop! Shaking doesn’t work, pressing the keyboarded doesn’t work, nothing works! Unless of course you have an Apple remote. Something I didn’t have with me at that time (being away from home). The only option was to manually force my mac to shut-down, hoping that it would turn on again normally when I got home.

It didn’t…..

I couldn’t start the computer in safe mode, i couldn’t start the computer in normal mode. What a headache it had turned out to be. After checking the website (on a PC) I realised there was no user feedback or instruction manual. No fix for my problem anywhere. Only a few people reporting the same issue on Mac forums.

So, I guess your wondering if I got my mac working again. Yes, I did. Thanks to the staff at my local Mac shop I was advised do an OS reinstall. Fortunately I kept all my data and the whole experience merely cost only a few troublesome hours. No thanks however, to the Lockdown team. I’m still waiting on a return email regarding a fix to my problem.

Lockdown is unnecessary software. Any security program that doesn’t have an easy to use disable method isn’t worth using. There are plenty of other software alternatives out there, similar to Lockdown, yet better.

WARNING: Avoid Lockdown.

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7 Comments

23/12/2007

Apple News

U.S. Army ‘Making the Switch’ to Apple Computers

By Mr. Mayor

U.S. Army 'Making the Switch' to Apple Computers

According to Andy Greenberg of Forbes.com, the US Army is quietly working to integrate more Apple computers into the military mix for many reasons.

1. Security. Running macs will make it harder for a single attack to destabilize an entire group of computers. Security is of course one of the biggest concerns when it comes to computers and the military… and macs have long been touted more safe and secure when compared to their PC counterparts.

2. Diversification. Running different systems and setups will make it harder for potential attackers to take down anything significant. More data will be protected and the military will therefore be safer. I think of it like any smart investor. Diversify, diversify, diversify!

3. Ease of use. Lets face it, running and administering a mac is a piece of cake compared to a PC. The army has enough to worry about, so why not make the computers easier to use? Makes sense to me.

Apple computers do only take up a tiny portion of the US military’s computer mix. By the numbers, around 20,000 of the 700,000 desktops and servers are made by Apple. That’s just under 3%. Look for that number to rise over the coming years.

This is an interesting move if you ask me. I simply hope that the move will not compromise any existing systems or security. I’m sure it won’t… I’m sure every angle has been looked at before adding these new systems into the mix.

[Source]

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3 Comments

26/11/2007

How To's

How To: Keep Images Out of Finder’s Smart Folder

By Mike Bradbrook

The Finder Smart FoldersThe new Leopard Finder automatically shows all the images on your machine using the Smart folder “All Images”.

Now, doesn’t that sound just lovely? Well, it does unless there are images on your machine that you really don’t want friends or family seeing. I’m sure you have immediately thought of an example and I bet that what you’re thinking of rhymes with corn!

Well, there is a solution that is something you probably should do with sensitive data anyway - put these files into an encrypted disk image.

Let’s work with an example - I’ll use Smurfs, which obviously I’d be really embarrassed if my wife saw on my machine while she scrolled through Cover Flow. Let’s put these little beauties into an encrypted disk image!

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